85R16005 KSM-F     By: Zedler H.C.R. No. 112       CONCURRENT RESOLUTION          WHEREAS, The State of Israel, the only democracy in the   Middle East, is a great friend and ally of the United States of   America, and Texas and Israel have a long history of friendship in   support of each other's interests; and          WHEREAS, Texas has signed multiple cooperative agreements   with Israel that have increased our connections and interactions in   the areas of business, government, art, culture, and education, and   elected Texas officials have been making mission trips to Israel   since 2003; and          WHEREAS, Despite previously expressed support from the Lone   Star State, there have been increasing incidents of anti-Semitism   around the world and in Texas, and the international Boycott,   Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement is one of the main   vehicles for spreading anti-Semitism and for advocating the   elimination of the Jewish state; and          WHEREAS, The preponderance of anti-Israel activities and the   promotion of the BDS movement, in Texas communities in general and   on university campuses specifically, have resulted in threats   against Jewish students and have deliberately interfered with the   learning environment of all students, particularly in the negative   impact of these activities on student programming related to the   State of Israel and politics in the Middle East; and          WHEREAS, The call of the BDS campaign for academic boycotts   has been condemned as a violation of the bedrock principle of   academic freedom by many of our nation's largest academic   associations, hundreds of university presidents, and a number of   other leading scholars; and          WHEREAS, Elected representatives of Texas defend the   inalienable right to free speech and understand that the goals and   activities of BDS campaigns in Texas are harmful to the state's   relationships with its Jewish citizens and with Israel and have a   deleterious impact on the educational environment; now, therefore,   be it          RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas   hereby condemn the international Boycott, Divestment, and   Sanctions movement and its activities to spread anti-Semitism in   Texas; and, be it further          RESOLVED, That activities that contribute, directly or   indirectly, to the denial, violation, or delegitimization of any   people's academic freedom, including, but not limited to, promotion   of academic boycotts by the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions   movement against Israel, be denounced; and, be it further          RESOLVED, That the international Boycott, Divestment, and   Sanctions movement and its agenda be considered inherently   antithetical and deeply damaging to the causes of peace, justice,   equality, democracy, and human rights for all peoples in the Middle   East; and, be it further          RESOLVED, That support for the State of Israel be reaffirmed   and that the Jewish people be recognized as indigenous to the land   of Israel and that they be supported in their right to engage in   lawful acts of self-defense.